Senate Bill S6250

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S6250

 TITLE OF BILL :  An act to amend the executive law, in relation to
requiring fire extinguishers in every rented dwelling

 PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL :

In the interest of public safety and fire prevention, this legislation
provides clear standards in law requiring landlords to provide fire
extinguishers in all rented apartments.

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :

Subdivision 5-e would be added to Section 378 of the Executive Law
requiring the installation of fire extinguishers in all living units
within a multiple dwelling.

 JUSTIFICATION :

A recent devastating and tragic fire in Queens Village, which claimed
the lives of five individuals-all under the age of 21-is a call to
action in terms of fire safety. Sadly, the multiple dwelling that the
victims lived in was found to be absent of any working smoke detectors
and fire extinguishers.

While current New York State Laws, Rules and Regulations mandate the
              

presence of smoke detectors in multiple dwellings, there is currently
no such requirement with respect to fire extinguishers.

There is a common misconception that the majority of civilians cannot
properly use fire extinguishers. This assumption has influenced how
fire codes have historically been written and ultimately impacts the
expansive availability of fire extinguishers. However, a study to test
the validity of that assumption showed that 76% of novices handle fire
extinguishers correctly and are able to pull the pin and discharge the
agent. Furthermore, it is simply not enough to only have smoke alarms
in a residence because, as one study demonstrated, 4o% of fire deaths
from 2009 to 2013 happened in the presence of operating smoke alarm.

In Europe, two separate studies were conducted to measure the
effectiveness of fire extinguishers. One key finding was that around
8o% of all fires were effectively put out at their early stages by
fire extinguishers; additionally, among those cases, around 75% of
them did not even require subsequent attendance from a fire
department. When these results were extrapolated to the United States,
the 8o% extinguishing level was maintained. In other words, in 8o% of
all fire incidents, a portable fire extinguisher is the only
firefighting tool needed to extinguish the fire.  Furthermore,
approximately 6o% of those incidents in the United States subsequently
did not need notification to the fire department.  Therefore, not only
were there findings favorable but they were replicable further proving
their validity. Moreover, it is important to prevent a fire at its
early stage because 93% of all fire-related deaths and 95% of all
direct property damage occur once the fire has progressed beyond its
early stages. Additionally, having a fire extinguisher will not add
any significant increase in cost to the resident owner or the occupant
because at least in commercial occupancies, the current cost for
portable fire extinguishers is less than one cent per square foot.

Both hard data National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and
life-experience indicate that the presence of fire extinguishers can
have a profound effect in terms of successfully putting out fires in
their incipient stages. In short, fire extinguishers can totally
prevent or significantly minimize the effects of a fire that breaks
out. They are a simple safety tool that can save lives.

In the name of safety-particularly in two family residences and larger
multiple dwellings-fire extinguishers should be as common as running
water, heat and hot water, and light and air. This bill cannot bring
back the lives of angels that we have lost, but it can prevent future
blazes and loss of life.

 PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

New Bill.

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS :

None.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This shall take effect immediately.